Eye of Sauron
by Feather-of-Maat
Summary: Stargate SG-1 & Lord of the Rings crossover. SG-1 gates to an AU Middle Earth. Set during "The Two Towers." Chapter 9 uploaded
1. Default Chapter

  
  
Title: Eye of Sauron   
Authors: Feather-of-Maat and Skite  
Category: Action/Adventure/General  
Rating: G for now, may change later  
Summary: SG-1 travels to Middle Earth. Set in an AU Middle Earth during "The Two Towers/Return of the King." Really generic summary I know, but I haven't worked out too many details yet.  
Disclaimer: Neither Stargate SG-1 nor Lord of the Rings belong to me. I'm not making any money off of this fic, and, like many fanfic writers it seems, I am a poor student. Please don't sue.  
Author's Notes: This is, obviously, a work in progress. I'm putting up this first part to help determine whether or not I should continue it. This chapter is co-authored with my beta reader, but I may write the rest of it on my own.  
  
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"This should be a routine mission. The MALP showed no signs of intelligent life, though of course that is not to say there is none. This is strictly an exploratory mission. If you meet up with anything, do try not to get us in a war." General Hammond leveled Daniel with a pointed look, causing the archaeologist to squirm in his chair. "That was just that one time. Besides, I didn't know they would be so offended," he protested. Hammond cut him off with a gesture before he could continue. "Just try to stay out of any dangerous situations. Dismissed."

SG-1 filed out the door, heading for the Gateroom. As soon as they were inside, O'Neill sighed.

"Routine. Right. Meaning, we'll all be stuck in the infirmary for a week after we get back."

Daniel shrugged. "Hey, part of the risk of having a job that's never boring."

O'Neill only sighed again and headed for the Stargate, wondering what exactly would be broken, shot or concussed this time.

  
  
The team emerged from the gate into a thick forest. The trees were big, knotted, and drenched in moss; O'Neill doubted he could get his hands around the smallest of them. Behind him, Daniel sneezed. _So far, so good,_ the Colonel thought wryly. Slowly he turned to look at the gate; it was covered in vines, moss, dead leaves, and a good layer of forest.

"Well, it doesn't look like anybody's been using this thing periodically," Daniel noted, brushing some leaves off the barely recognizable DHD. O'Neill fixed him with an exasperated glare. "Ya think?" he muttered, shifting his gun. The whole place was too eerily quiet.

"I don't like this silence," Carter said uneasily. O'Neill nodded absently in agreement. "Let's move out," he said, heading in the direction that seemed lightest. With luck, it would be the edge of the forest.  
  
Thankfully, it was, and four stepped out of the trees onto a long, dry plain. O'Neill wrinkled his nose. "Something's burning," he said, stating the obvious. Daniel sneezed again.

"Sir," Carter said, looking past the Colonel, "maybe the probe didn't show any intelligence, but there are three people headed our way."  
  
O'Neill turned and looked in the direction Carter was pointing. Sure enough, a trio of figures was approaching.

"Hide!" he hissed, diving into a green mass of plant life. Carter followed suit, and Teal'c ducked behind an adjacent log. Daniel, however, was staring intently at the trio as it came towards the forest. "They might be friendly," he said. "I don't see any guns or staff weapons."

"Daniel!" O'Neill yelled in a whisper. "Get over here before they see you! Just because they don't have staff weapons doesn't mean they aren't hostile!" To Carter he muttered, "When will he ever learn?"

"Unknown, sir," Carter answered with a straight face. O'Neill rolled his eyes. Daniel reluctantly squatted next to Teal'c behind the log. O'Neill, Carter and Teal'c raised their weapons and prepared to fire, just in case...

  
  
"The tracks lead away from the battle!" the scruffy, dark-haired man yelled, tracking a set of footprints across the plain like a hound. Then he stopped cold. "Into Fangorn Forest."

"Fangorn!" his small, stout companion muttered. "What madness drove them in there?"

The man with the scruffy beard gave no answer to the rhetorical question, his eyes following the tracks worriedly. His tumbled thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a hand gripping his arm. He turned slightly. "What is it, Legolas?"

The third member of the party released his hold on the dark-haired man's arm. "There is someone in the forest, Aragorn," he whispered, his voice low and urgent.

Aragorn stiffened. Legolas, an Elf, had incredible eyesight and was able to see things at long distances that Aragorn himself could not hope to discern. "What was it?" he asked the Elf in an equally low tone. "One of the hobbits?"

Legolas shook his head. "It was too tall, perhaps the size of a man."

"An Orc?"

"No. I saw it only briefly before it vanished, but it was too fair to be an Orc."

Aragorn drew his sword. "We must proceed with caution. It may not have been an Orc, but other strange and hostile creatures may have made their lair in Fangorn. If Merry and Pippin are yet alive, they may still be in danger."

The small, stout man held his weapon, an axe, out at the ready and Legolas fitted an arrow to his weapon of choice, a wooden bow that was slender yet deadly. Cautiously, the three crept towards the edge of the forest, preparing to come face to face with whatever unfamiliar creatures were awaiting them.


	2. Chapter Two

A/N: Apologies for the massive delay in updating. My muse and I haven't been on speaking terms lately.  
  
Just a reminder, this story takes place in an AU Middle Earth.  
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Adjusting her binoculars, Carter trained them on the advancing figures. "I see weapons, sir," she reported. "Nothing fancy, though. Bows and arrows, a sword, an axe."  
  
O'Neill nodded and relaxed his grip on the P-90. "All right, kids, let's get out of this stuff. I think I'm getting a rash." Standing, he grimaced and pulled a handful of leaves out from under his shirt. Daniel followed suit, stepping over a fallen branch and into the open.  
  
"Hi, I'm Daniel--" the archaeologist began, but stopped short when he found an arrow aimed right between his eyes.  
  
"Jackson," he finished, slowly raising his hands. "We're peaceful explorers from a planet called Earth."  
  
A quick look passed between the dark-haired and blond strangers, then the former turned to Daniel.  
  
"What is your purpose in Fangorn Forest?"  
  
Daniel cleared his throat and eyed the blond's bow and arrows, which, although no longer aimed directly at him, were still tense. He had no doubt the blond knew exactly what to do with them. "Like I said, we're explorers. We came here through the Stargate."  
  
The dark-haired man frowned suspiciously. "Stargate?"  
  
"Uh, it's also called a 'Chaapa'ai,' in some places," Daniel offered, but there was still no recognition in the man's eyes.  
  
Getting impatient, O'Neill stepped forward. "It's a big ring thingy, it's made of--"  
  
_"Ring?"_ the man interrupted, a startled look crossing his face.  
  
O'Neill raised his eyebrows. "Yeah, it's ring-shaped. You press the symbols on the dialer, it spins, there's a big 'whoosh,' and then we just walk through it to get to other planets." Waiting for a response, he got three blank looks for his trouble.

"It appears these people have not heard of the Stargate, O'Neill," Teal'c stated the obvious.  
  
"That's not too surprising, sir, considering the amount of plant life we found on the Stargate," Carter spoke up.  
  
"All right, let's try this again," Daniel suggested. "I'm Daniel Jackson, this is Colonel Jack O'Neill, that's Major Samantha Carter, and that's Teal'c."  
  
The dark-haired man nodded smoothly. "Aragorn, son of Arathorn is my name, and my companions are Gimli son of Gloin," he indicated the bushy-bearded dwarf, "and Legolas son of Thranduil." The blond archer bowed slightly.  
  
"We are searching for two of our friends," Legolas spoke up. "Perhaps you saw them in the forest?"  
  
"No, I'm afraid not--" Daniel began, when O'Neill cut in.  
  
"If you'll excuse us for a moment?" he addressed Aragorn. Beckoning to Daniel, he led his team a short distance away, out of hearing range of Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli.  
  
"Jack, I think we should help them look for their friends!" Daniel said quickly. "It'll give me an opportunity to learn about their customs, their culture, their history. We can find out if they've ever heard about the Goa'uld before."  
  
"Daniel, they've never heard of the Stargate, I doubt they're familiar with the Goa'uld," O'Neill said skeptically.  
  
"But we won't know for sure until we ask them," Daniel pointed out stubbornly.  
  
O'Neill sighed. "First, let's see if they even want any help in finding their friends. They look like a pretty wary bunch."  
  
"Well, sir, if a bunch of people had just walked up to you saying they were explorers from a different planet, wouldn't you be suspicious too?" Carter asked.  
  
O'Neill was about to come up with a sarcastic retort, but Daniel didn't give him a chance. The scientist was already making his way back towards the trio.  
  
"If you don't mind, we'd like to help you look for your friends," he said.  
  
Aragorn narrowed his eyes slightly, looking at the young stranger in front of him. He couldn't detect any deceit in this Daniel Jackson's voice, but decided to keep his sword close at hand, just in case. The spies of Sauron were many, after all.  
  
"Our friends are two young hobbits by the names of Merry and Pippin," he explained. "We were just tracking their footprints, leading into Fangorn Forest."  
  
"Good luck finding 'em in there," O'Neill muttered under his breath, casting a glance over his shoulder into the murky forest.  
  
"How is it that your friends became separated from you?" Teal'c inquired.  
  
Aragorn's expression turned grim as he remembered. "They were captured."  
  
Teal'c arched an eyebrow and O'Neill looked up sharply. "Captured? By what?"  
  
The answer came from Legolas. "Orcs," he said, a slight undercurrent of tension in his voice. Jackson noticed the elf fingering one of his arrows. "Uruk-hai, to be precise."  
  
"Warriors of Saruman," growled Gimli, hoisting his axe.  
  
"All right, wait a second here," O'Neill spoke up. "Saruman? Uruk-_whats?_"  
  
Aragorn frowned. "Have you not heard of the White Wizard and his army?"  
  
Daniel jumped in before O'Neill could reply. "Uh, first things first, here. What exactly _is_ an Uruk-hai?"  
  
"Cruel monsters, created by Saruman, to be used in his onslaught against Middle Earth," answered Aragorn.  
  
"And your friends were captured by these...Uruk-hai?" asked Carter. "How do you know they're still alive?"  
  
"This particular band of Uruks was destroyed in the night by Riders of Rohan," Aragorn replied, pointing to a large cloud of smoke rising towards the sky. "The riders burned the carcasses."  
  
"So _that's _what that smell was," O'Neill mumbled.  
  
"We found Merry and Pippin's footprints leading away from the battle scene," Aragorn continued. "They must have slipped away during the chaos of the slaughter."  
  
As Aragorn finished speaking, O'Neill straightened and shifted his P-90. "Okay, Daniel, Teal'c, stay with these fine people and see what else you can find out. Carter, with me."  
  
"Wait--where are you going?" Daniel asked.  
  
O'Neill paused. "I want to see these 'Uruk-hai' for myself." He glanced over at Carter. "Major?"  
  
Turning, he strode across the plain towards the smoke, Carter following.  
  
As they reached the pile of bodies, they were greeted by the sight of an Uruk's severed head, impaled on a spear that had been jammed into the ground. "Very cute," O'Neill commented dryly.  
  
Carter wrinkled her nose in distaste, then approached the heap. "Well, sir, I'm not sure what all you can tell from here. These bodies are--"  
  
On the other side of the pile, O'Neill frowned, perplexed at her abrupt stop. "Are what, Carter?"  
  
There was a second of silence, then Carter spoke up again.  
  
"Sir, you'd better take a look at this."  
  
O'Neill made his way around the pile to where his second-in-command knelt, gun in hand.  
  
"What is it?" he asked, his knees protesting as he squatted next to her.  
  
"Look."  
  
He squinted, the smoke obscuring his vision. Then his eyes widened.  
  
"Oh, for crying out loud. Is that what I think it is?"  
  
"I'm afraid so, sir."  
  
There in the pile, among the Uruk-hai remains, lay the charred but still recognizable corpse of a Goa'uld larva.  
  
Carter straightened and backed away. "Sir, these are..._were_...Jaffa."


	3. Chapter Three

Aragorn, standing a short distance from the two remaining strangers, watched as the ones called O'Neill and Carter rapidly made their way towards the rising smoke. His thoughts were interrupted by Gimli's gravelly voice.  
  
"I don't like it," the dwarf grumbled, his words low enough that only Legolas and Aragorn could understand them. "I've never seen anyone like them before. They resemble Men, yet they dress strangely and carry odd devices. Besides, we found them in Fangorn! What good can come from that forest? Or any forest, for that matter." He ignored the displeased look Legolas shot him at this last remark.  
  
"Their confusion when we spoke of Saruman and the Uruk-hai seemed genuine," the Elf pointed out.  
  
Gimli grunted. "Perhaps they were trying to deceive us."  
  
Aragorn looked over at the strangers. The fair-skinned one--Daniel Jackson, he had called himself--had taken the odd, circular shaped things off his face and was polishing them on his sleeve. The darker one with the ever-stoic expression stood rigid and alert, as though expecting something to spring from the forest and attack.  
  
Daniel finished cleaning his glasses and stepped towards Aragorn, unable to contain his curiosity any longer.  
  
"So, tell me more about this...Saruman," he suggested.  
  
Aragorn nodded slightly. "The White Wizard was once wise and noble, but now he has allied himself with evil. He has ravaged the land of Isengard, and he breeds his army of foul creatures in its caverns. His forces have begun attacking the people of Rohan, pillaging their towns and burning their homes."  
  
Teal'c, who had been listening silently until now, spoke up.  
  
"Do you consider this Saruman to be your god?" he asked.  
  
Aragorn bristled, and Gimli gave a roar of outrage. "Never!" he growled, hoisting his axe as if to chop Saruman off at the knees. Teal'c raised an eyebrow.  
  
Aragorn placed a hand on the dwarf's shoulder to calm him down, then spoke to Teal'c. "Saruman is powerful, to be sure, but he is not a god."  
  
"Does _anyone_ think of him as a god?" Daniel inquired.  
  
Aragorn and Legolas exchanged a quick, puzzled look. Then Aragorn shook his head. "No one would be so foolish."  
  
Daniel opened his mouth to reply, but was cut short as O'Neill strode up, Carter close behind.  
  
"Daniel, Teal'c, we're heading back to the Stargate," he stated with no word of explanation.  
  
Daniel blinked at O'Neill as the Colonel walked past him. "But Jack, I've only learned a little bit about Saruman. I really think we should stay for a little longer and get some more information."  
  
"Later, Daniel," O'Neill called over his shoulder as he disappeared into the forest.   
  
It didn't take them long to reach the gate, and Carter dialed out as O'Neill kept a wary eye--and his P-90--on the trees. A none-too-happy Daniel caught up with them moments later.  
  
"What'd you tell the natives?" O'Neill asked before the archaeologist could voice his displeasure.  
  
Daniel blew out a disgruntled breath. "I apologized for your abruptness, first of all."  
  
O'Neill looked unfazed as usual. Daniel continued.  
  
"I told them you'd decided to return home and report to our leaders. They seemed a little suspicious but didn't press for details. I think they're going to continue searching the forest for their missing friends."  
  
O'Neill nodded, apparently satisfied. Behind him, the seventh chevron locked into place and the Stargate whooshed to life in a burst of liquid blue.  
  
Carter's fingers danced over the GDO as she pushed in the code. "Ready to go, sir," she reported.  
  
"Jack, at least tell me _why_ we're leaving now," Daniel persisted.  
  
O'Neill sighed and readjusted his baseball cap. "Carter and I went to check out those Uruk...whatevers..." He glanced over at his second in command.  
  
"Uruk-hai," Carter supplied.  
  
"Right. Turns out they're Jaffa."  
  
He paused. Daniel cleared his throat. "So...it's not like we've never encountered Jaffa before."  
  
"These weren't human, Daniel," O'Neill explained patiently. "It was sort of hard to tell exactly what they used to look like. The bodies were all pretty burned up. But there were a few severed heads lying around, and trust me, these things are big, ugly, and definitely alien."  
  
Teal'c's raised one eyebrow to maximum height. "In all my years of service to the Goa'uld, I never heard of non-human Jaffa."  
  
O'Neill's face was grim as he stepped up to the Stargate. "I was afraid you would say that, Teal'c."  
  
  
Sirens wailed and red lights flashed as the gate spun. Soldiers streamed into the gateroom, weapons trained on the Stargate. Sergeant Davis looked up from his keyboard as General Hammond strode into the observation room.  
  
"Receiving SG-1's signal, sir," Davis reported.  
  
"Open the iris," Hammond commanded, then turned and began making his way to the embarkation room.  
  
The iris slid back, revealing the azure event horizon. Seconds later, SG-1 reintigrated on the Earth side of the gate.  
  
"Welcome back, SG-1," Hammond greeted, looking over his premier team and relieved to see them injury-free for once. "You will debrief in one hour."  
  
  
  
Hammond sighed and leaned back in his chair at the head of the briefing room, looking weary. "So you think you've found a new Goa'uld, one with non-human Jaffa."  
  
"It would appear so, sir," O'Neill confirmed.  
  
"I don't think we can be positive yet that Saruman is a Goa'uld, although the fact that he's attacking innocent people is certainly characteristic of one," Daniel said, about to slip into his lecture mode.  
  
O'Neill shot him an odd look across the table. "What else would he be?"  
  
"Well, I don't know, but if he is a Goa'uld, it seems strange that he's not impersonating a god," Daniel said. " I mean, Aragorn and Gimli were pretty adamant that they would never consider him to be their god."  
  
"Aragorn also said that Saruman was once wise and noble," Teal'c added. "I do not know of any Goa'uld who could be described in that way."  
  
The briefing room was momentarily silent as everyone pondered this.  
  
"So the situation is, we've got a hostile being who may or may not be a Goa'uld, that is attacking the people of this world for reasons unknown," Hammond stated.  
  
"General, I think we should return to the planet and gather some more information on Saruman," Daniel said immediately. "Find out whether or not he's a Goa'uld and go from there."  
  
Carter nodded. "Knowledge is power."  
  
O'Neill mock-frowned at her. "Now Carter. That's a cliché, and we all know how I feel about those."  
  
Carter grinned, pretending to look abashed. "Sorry, sir."  
  
Hammond shook his head with a wry smile and stood up from the table. "You'll leave at 0900 hours tomorrow. Dismissed."  
  



	4. Chapter Four

Author's Note: Contrary to how it probably appeared, I have not abandoned this story! I've slowly but surely been working on it between bouts of procrastination (my specialty). I apologize once again for the long delay in updating. This chapter is a bit longer than the previous ones, so I hope that makes up for it.   
  
Several reviewers have asked whether or not there will be slash in this story. I don't read or write slash, so the answer to that is no. Actually, at this point I don't intend for there to be much romance of any kind, mainly because writing romance is not exactly my strong point. ;) Thanks to everyone who reviewed! Your comments are appreciated.  
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"Well, the place didn't get any cheerier since the last time we were here," O'Neill quipped as the team walked through the Stargate into Fangorn Forest once more. He stepped away from the Gate and squinted into the mass of trees.  
  
"They oughta clear some of these out of here, let a little sunlight in," he said. "Maybe build a nice little apartment complex."  
  
Carter chuckled, while Teal'c raised an eyebrow and decided not to comment.  
  
"All right, let's move out," O'Neill ordered, starting off in the direction they had traveled on their previous visit. "We'll head for the plains, and see if we can meet up with those natives again."  
  
"Their names are Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli," Daniel interjected.  
  
"Yeah, them," O'Neill concluded.  
  
The team walked in silence for several minutes, picking their way through myriad of roots and branches that littered the forest floor.   
  
"I do not find this forest to be pleasant," Teal'c spoke up, breaking the thick silence.  
  
"Yeah," Carter agreed. "It reminds me of the woods at the Land of Light. It's not as dark, but more...closed in. Not a place for claustrophobics."  
  
"Better take some extra allergy medicine just in case, Daniel," O'Neill said with a grin, turning towards the archaeologist, only to find Daniel was not following as expected. "Daniel?"  
  
"Over here, Jack!" came Daniel's voice from several yards away. "You should come take a look at this."  
  
"Oh, here we go," O'Neill muttered, raising his eyes to heaven as though praying for patience. "Another 'rock' he won't be able to tear himself away from, I'll bet."  
  
"You are incorrect, O'Neill," said Teal'c. The Jaffa had already made his way over to Daniel and was looking at something on the ground with a barely concealed expression of distaste.  
  
"Whoa," O'Neill said, catching sight of Daniel's find. "What happened to him?"  
  
Daniel wrinkled his nose. "Is this one of those Uruk-hai Jaffa?"  
  
"Well, all we saw were burned bodies, so it was kind of hard to tell exactly what they look like, but I'd say it's a good guess that this is one of them," Carter said, gingerly kneeling next to the corpse. "It looks like he's been..."  
  
"Smushed?" O'Neill offered.  
  
"Well, yes sir, in so many words," Carter replied. "It's like a boulder fell on him."  
  
O'Neill raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Well, Carter, I don't recall seeing any boulders in this forest."  
  
Carter sat back on her heels. "Well, maybe a big tree branch. Or it could be something happened to him outside the forest and his body was just dumped here."  
  
"Or perhaps this world contains creatures capable of doing such damage," Teal'c said darkly.  
  
Carter and Daniel exchanged an uneasy look while O'Neill scanned the forest with renewed suspicion.  
  
"Let's keep moving," he said after a moment, stepping away from the unfortunate Uruk. "Keep your eyes open."  
  
A wary silence fell once more as the team continued. After several tense but uneventful minutes of walking, the edge of the forest came into view. Teal'c bulldozed through several thick branches, and the four stepped out onto the open plains, blinking in the sudden sunlight.  
  
"Nice to be out of those woods!" Daniel stated, voicing the thoughts of all four of them.  
  
Shielding his eyes with his hand, O'Neill scanned the plains, but saw only dead grass and a bit of smoke still rising from the Uruk pyre. Daniel had pulled out a pair of binoculars and was also surveying the area.  
  
"You see them, Daniel?" O'Neill asked.  
  
Daniel shook his head slowly, still peering through the binoculars. "Not seeing anything except that pile of Jaffa..."  
  
"All right. Well, there's a lot of ground to cover, so let's split up. Carter, you and Daniel head out that way," O'Neill gestured towards the plains, "and Teal'c and I will walk around the edge of the forest, see if those guys are still in there looking for their missing friends. Radio us if you find anything."  
  
"Will do, sir," Carter replied with a nod. "Daniel?"  
  
"Yep," Daniel replied, hanging the binoculars around his neck and falling in step with Carter.  
  
The smoky odor that had hung over the fields earlier had diminished, much to Carter's relief. She turned slowly as she walked to take in the surroundings, eyes skimming over the slightly rolling plains. Most of the grass appeared dry and dead, but patches of green still lingered in several places. Mountains rose in the distance, their peaks disappearing into the clouds, and clusters of trees could be seen dotting the plains and the mountainsides. Overall, if one ignored the pile of Uruk Jaffa corpses, it wasn't an unpleasant country to look upon, but at the moment Carter was more interested in finding its inhabitants than in admiring its geography.   
  
"Uh, Sam?" Daniel's voice broke into her thoughts. "I think we're about to have company."  
  
Carter turned and looked in the direction Daniel was pointing. A large band of Uruk Jaffa was rapidly approaching them. Carter swore under her breath and looked around in vain for hiding places.  
  
"Sam, they're moving at a pretty good clip..." Daniel trailed off, fingering the pistol he often carried but rarely used.  
  
"All right, back to the forest," Carter said quickly, naming their only available option.  
  
As she turned to run, she heard an unearthly-sounding bellow and threw a glance over her shoulder. The Uruk-hai had spotted them.

  
  
Colonel O'Neill checked his watch and sighed. They'd been looking for those natives--what was the head guy's name? Ara-something-or-other? Aragorn, that was it--for more than half an hour, with no results.  
  
"Not even any footprints," he muttered.  
  
"Did you say something, O'Neill?" Teal'c inquired.  
  
The Colonel's response was cut off as Carter's voice suddenly burst through his radio.  
  
"Colonel!"   
  
"Go ahead, Major," he answered into the radio.  
  
"We've got a band of Jaffa on our six, sir!" she yelled, sounding breathless. "There's got to be at least twenty-five or thirty of them! We're heading back to the forest--"  
  
The transmission ended abruptly. "Come in, Carter," O'Neill ordered. There was no response.  
  
"Major Carter, please respond," O'Neill tried again. Nothing except static came from the radio, but the distinct sound of rapid-fire gunshots could be heard. Without hesitiation, the colonel and the Jaffa took off running towards the sound.  
  
  
  
As Daniel sprinted headlong towards the forest, it occured to him that it was rather ironic how he was now racing back to the forest he'd been so eager to leave earlier.  
  
A sharp cry of pain broke into his thoughts, and with a start he realized Sam was no longer running beside him, yelling into her radio. Whipping around, he saw her lying on the ground, a thick black arrow jutting out of her leg.  
  
The nearest Uruk, holding a crossbow, was close enough now that Daniel could see his malicious grin and the look of smug triumph in his beady yellow eyes. He raised his bow again, arrow aimed at Carter's head.  
  
Rolling on her back as quickly as her injured leg would allow, Carter brought her P-90 up and sent a round of bullets into the Uruk's midsection. He had just enough time to switch his expression from smug to astonished before he fell heavily to the ground.  
  
It was quickly obvious, however, that their superior firepower was not enough of an advantage. Daniel swallowed hard as twenty more Uruks appeared in place of the one Sam had killed. One of them barked out a command in a gutteral, unfamiliar language, and several more came around behind Daniel, forcing him over towards the leader.  
  
  
  
O'Neill's jaw was clenched as he watched the Uruks through his binoculars. They were surrounding Carter and Daniel closely enough that there was no way he could fire without risking hitting one of his teammates.  
  
The lead Jaffa had grabbed Carter's gun and was now looking it over with undisguised interest. Shoving it into the hands of another Uruk, he grapsed the major's collar and pulled her up, forcing her to put weight on her wounded leg. Daniel was also being dragged by another Uruk, but the archaeologist appeared to be uninjured.  
  
The lead Uruk pushed Carter away and growled an order. The band began to move out, hauling its prisoners alongside.  
  
"What is our plan of action, O'Neill?" Teal'c spoke up.  
  
Jack shoved his binoculars into his pocket and turned towards the forest. "Head back to the Stargate."  
  
  
  
"Unscheduled off-world activation!"  
  
At the sound of alarms and Sergeant Davis' announcement, General Hammond abandoned the ever-present paperwork in his office and strode towards the observation area overlooking the Gateroom.  
  
The Gate burst to life behind the closed iris as he entered. Sergeant Davis was busily tapping away at the keyboard. "Receiving IDC, sir," he spoke up after a moment, glancing up at Hammond. "It's the Tok'ra."  
  
Hammond nodded. "Open the iris."  
  
The protective barrier retracted, and moments later two beige-clad figures appeared. One of them frowned, then spoke to the other in the deep, double-toned voice of a symbiote.  
  
"It would appear that there is no one here to meet us."  
  
The other Tok'ra rolled his eyes and replied, "Patience has never been your strongest point, Lantesh."  
  
As if on cue, General Hammond entered the Gateroom.  
  
"Welcome, Jacob, Martouf," he greeted.  
  
"Good to see you again, George!" Jacob said. His smile dimmed as he glanced around the room. Aside from himself, Martouf, Hammond and a few soldiers, the area was empty. "Sam not here?"  
  
Hammond shook his head. "I'm afraid your timing's a little off. SG-1 went offworld this morning."  
  
Both Tok'ra looked disappointed at this news, although Martouf quickly masked his expression.  
  
Jacob's head dipped briefly, signalling the switch in control from host to symbiote. "We have come to inform you of a new Goa'uld threat," Selmak said, "one whose power is steadily rising. The Tok'ra High Council felt it would be prudent to share this new intelligence with you."  
  
Lines appeared in Hammond's forehead as it creased with concern. "Of course. Right this way."  
  
  
  
"Several days ago," Selmak began after they were seated around the briefing room table, "a few of our operatives aboard Cronus' vessel overheard a conversation he had with another System Lord. They were discussing the rise of a new Goa'uld, one who calls himself Sauron.  
  
"Apparently, Sauron has had little power for several millenia, and so the System Lords have not concerned themselves with him. But now, he is beginning to garner attention. The main world currently under his control is technologically insignificant; his focus there is to enslave the population. However, there is another planet under his control that has caused the System Lords to notice him. This second world has several small veins of naquada, and Sauron has slowly been taking this one step further by converting the naquada into naquadria."  
  
"Do the System Lords plan to do anything about this?" Hammond asked.  
  
"Not as far as we know," Martouf spoke up. "Most likely, the System Lords would rather wait until Sauron has built up a sizable amount of naquadria, then destroy him and take the naquadria for themselves."  
  
"I see," Hammond said thoughtfully. "Well---"  
  
Without warning, alarms began to blare, cutting the General off.  
  
"Unscheduled off-world activation!" Sergeant Davis announced over the PA system.  
  
Hammond rose from the table and and looked questioningly at Jacob and Martouf. "Are you expecting visits from any more Tok'ra?"  
  
Jacob and Martouf exchanged a glance. "Don't think so," Jacob said. "Maybe SG-1's coming back?"  
  
"They're not due back for several more days," Hammond stated, striding into the observation room with the Tok'ra close behind.  
  
The seventh chevron locked, and the Gate activated behind the closed iris.  
  
"Receiving IDC, sir. It's SG-1," reported Davis, adjusting his headset.  
  
"Open the iris," Hammond ordered.  
  
"Receiving radio transmission," Davis said after several seconds. He tapped a command on the keyboard, and an image of O'Neill appeared on the screen.  
  
"Colonel, this is General Hammond. What's your status?" Hammond asked.  
  
"Sir, Carter and Daniel have been captured by a band of those Jaffa," O'Neill reported, his voice crackling briefly with static. "Carter was injured as well."  
  
The often-present lines in Hammond's forehead deepened again at this news. Behind him, Jacob stiffened, and a look of alarm crossed Martouf's face.  
  
"How serious is Major Carter's injury?" Hammond asked.  
  
"She took an arrow in the leg--I wasn't close enough to see if it broke any bones or not. It's not life-threatening, but she isn't going to be running anytime soon."  
  
Hammond nodded. "Continue, Colonel."  
  
"The Jaffa presumably took Carter and Daniel to the headquarters of that Saruman character we found out about earlier," O'Neill went on. "We're going to need reinforcements to attempt a rescue. I estimated at least twenty-five Jaffa took Carter and Daniel, and who knows how many more there are at Saruman's fortress." O'Neill's face was expressionless, but Hammond knew SG-1's leader was inwardly seething at having been forced to stand by and watch as his team members were overpowered.  
  
Hammond nodded again, although O'Neill couldn't see him. "Understood, Colonel. I'll see what I can do."  
  
"Yes, sir. O'Neill out." The screen went blank as the transmission was cut, and the Gate disengaged a moment later.  
  
Martouf's eyes flashed as Lantesh emerged. "We must return to Vorash immediately," the symbiote intoned. "We will inform the Council of this news."  
  
"Will they be willing to help?" Hammond asked, a bit of skepticism in his tone.  
  
"They will if I have anything to say about it," growled Jacob, glaring at nothing in particular.  
  
At Hammond's nod, Davis moved aside, allowing Jacob to key in the coordinates to Vorash.  
  
"These are the coordinates to the world SG-1 is on," Davis said, handing Jacob a piece of paper. "We designated it P3X-537."  
  
"Well, it looks like your timing wasn't so bad after all," Hammond remarked as he walked with the Tok'ra to the Gateroom. "We'd appreciate whatever assistance the Tok'ra can offer."  
  
"The final decision will, of course, be up to the Council," Lantesh cautioned, his words slightly drowned out by the characteristic whoosh of the Gate opening.  
  
"Of course," Hammond said. "Good luck."  
  
Both Tok'ra inclined their heads, then turned to face the Stargate. Hammond watched as they walked up the ramp, disappearing through the event horizon. 


	5. Chapter Five

Author's Note: Flashbacks are in italics. For the first flashback, I was torn between using dialogue from the book or from the film, but I eventually decided to be consistent and go with the movie, since I quoted movie dialogue in chapter one.  
  
Thanks once again for all the reviews!  
  
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It took a lot to make Aragorn's head spin. He'd lived among Elves, Men, and wizards, wandered the wilderness as a Ranger, fought battles against forces of unspeakable darkness, lost friends and family to those same forces. He had seen and done much in his 87 years.  
  
But the events of the past several days were unlike any he could remember. Meeting those strangers had been unusual enough. They were certainly a puzzle to him--they claimed to be from an unknown place called "Earth," and their unfamiliar clothing and dialect supported those claims. The question of their allegiance was just as pressing as that of their homeland. Were they spies of Saruman? They seemed innocent enough--even going so far as to claim they didn't know who Saruman was--but the wizard was crafty, and his henchmen could take many forms. No, the newcomers could not be trusted, at least not until more concrete information about them was discovered.  
  
However, even the sudden appearance of suspicious "Earth" natives paled in comparison to yesterday's other major event. Aragorn's mind traveled back to the journey that he, Legolas and Gimli had taken through Fangorn Forest...  
  
_The trio stood before the white wizard that had appeared suddenly out of the woods, their weapons powerless against him. His staff had easily repelled Gimli's axe and Legolas' arrow, and Aragorn's sword had blazed red-hot until the Ranger had been forced to drop it.  
  
Aragorn brought a hand up to his face, shielding his eyes from the brilliant white light that surrounded the wizard and concealed his identity. _  
  
_"Who are you?" Aragorn demanded. "Show yourself!"  
  
The blaze of light diminished, and Aragorn found himself looking in astonishment upon a familiar figure--Gandalf himself.  
  
"It cannot be," Aragorn murmured, wondering if his eyes were deceiving him. Beside him, Legolas dropped to his knees. "Forgive me," the Elf said in a hushed tone. "I mistook you for Saruman."  
  
"I _am _Saruman," Gandalf replied. "Or rather, Saruman as he should have been."  
  
The Elf, the Man and the dwarf listened in amazement as Gandalf recounted the tale of his battle with the Balrog of Morgoth, and how he had been overtaken by darkness, yet sent back to Middle Earth to complete his task.  
  
"I am Gandalf the White," the wizard finished. "And I come back to you now at the turn of the tide."  
  
_Aragorn smiled slightly at the memory. Exactly _how_ Gandalf had come back from the abyss at Khazad-dûm was still a mystery, but one that didn't need to be solved immediately. Just the fact that his old friend and ally had returned was enough for the moment.  
  
Hasufel shied suddenly as a windblown leaf crossed his path, and Aragorn quickly brought his mind back to the present, steadying the horse with a calming word and an encouraging pat. Beside him, Gandalf rode on Shadowfax, head of the Mearas, who of course would never allow himself to be distracted by a mere leaf.  
  
Aragorn cast a glance over his shoulder at the rest of the group, making sure they were all present and accounted for. The band consisted of himself, Gandalf, Legolas and Gimli, and six Rohirric riders who had been sent by King Théoden to investigate the newcomers. In addition, four of the riders were leading saddled but riderless horses. If the strangers turned out to be trustworthy, they would need a ride to Edoras, Rohan's capital. The distance was too far to make on foot.  
  
After the reunion with Gandalf in Fangorn, Aragorn and his companions' plans had taken a sudden turn. Gandalf had assured them that Merry and Pippin were safe from the Uruks and that a rescue mission was no longer necessary. However, another pressing matter was at hand: the land of Rohan was in jeopardy. Its king was under Saruman's control, and intervention was needed.  
  
As they had begun the journey from Fangorn to Edoras, Aragorn had taken the opportunity to discuss the "Earth" natives with Gandalf.  
  
_"Mithrandir," Aragorn spoke up.   
  
Gandalf looked over at him, bushy brows furrowed over his eyes. "Yes?"  
  
"Earlier today," Aragorn began, "when we were tracking Merry and Pippin's trail near Fangorn, we encountered strangers in the forest."  
  
Gandalf quirked an eyebrow, but otherwise did not react. He motioned for Aragorn to continue.  
  
"They claimed to be explorers from a place called Earth," Aragorn said. "They looked to be from the race of Men, but their clothing and the objects they carried were unlike any I have seen before."  
  
"They also spoke at length of a device called a...Stargate," Legolas added.  
  
Gandalf looked up sharply at this information, his forehead creasing. Aragorn raised his eyebrows. "You have heard of this 'Stargate,' I take it?"   
  
Gandalf did not respond immediately, but it was clear from his expression that he was thinking this over. After a moment, he spoke. "They were from the race of Men, you say?"  
  
"Yes, at least they appeared to be," Aragorn confirmed.  
  
"How many were there?"  
  
"Four," Aragorn responded. "Three men and a woman. If there were any others, we did not see them."  
  
"Hmmm," was Gandalf's reply. "Interesting. Very interesting." He seemed to be speaking more to himself than to them.  
  
Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli exchanged glances, their curiosity more aroused than ever. When it became apparent that Gandalf was not going to say any more, Gimli's patience wore out.  
  
"Well? Do you know who they are?" he demanded in his gruff tone.  
  
Gandalf looked over at the dwarf as if just noticing he was there, then gave an enigmatic smile. "All in good time, Master Dwarf. All in good time. For now, we must make haste to Edoras."  
  
_Upon reaching Edoras, they had found King Théoden, brainwashed into serving Saruman, and being fed lies by his sinister advisor, Grima Wormtongue. In a whirlwind of events, Gandalf had freed Théoden's mind from the cloud Saruman had cast over it, and the newly liberated Théoden had nearly killed the traitorous Wormtongue. Only Aragorn's merciful intervention at the last instant had changed the king's mind and saved Grima's life, and the ex-advisor had wasted no time fleeing the kingdom. Most likely he had slithered back to Orthanc, the fortress of his master, Saruman.  
  
For Théoden, it had been like waking up from a nightmare. Unfortunately, the reality he'd returned to was not much better. Saruman's forces were terrorizing Rohan, raiding and burning villages, driving people from their homes. He had also been hit with the news that his only son was dead, killed in an Orc ambush. On top of all that, Gandalf had informed him of the matter of strangers--possibly spies--that needed to be looked into.  
  
Théoden had agreed to send six of the Rohirrim to investigate, and early the next morning the small band had set out for Fangorn, the last known whereabouts of the "explorers." For Aragorn and Gimli, the forest was becoming an all-too familiar place, especially for Gimli, who was not fond of the closed-in atmosphere. Legolas, on the other hand, was perfectly at home in the woods and had no qualms about heading back to Fangorn. He also had no qualms about teasing Gimli over the dwarf's rocky relationship with forests. Aragorn listened to their bantering with half an ear as they cantered towards Fangorn, his mind already thinking ahead to a possible confrontation with the Earth outlanders. If they did indeed turn out to be servants of the enemy, the meeting would most likely end in violence. _We have a numerical advantage, _Aragorn mused, _unless there were more strangers in the forest that we didn't see. _Seven battle-hardened men, an equally combat-experienced Elf and dwarf, and a powerful wizard would surely be enough to take out the newcomers if the worst-case scenario came to pass.  
  
As Aragorn continued to think back over his encounter with the strangers, there was one detail that prickled the back of his mind: the large, dark-skinned man had carried a staff of sorts. There had also been an odd, golden symbol on his forehead, a marking that none of the other three had shared. None of them had carried staffs, either. Aragorn wondered if the black man was a wizard--or the "Earth" equivalent of one--or some other powerful being. Perhaps his staff, like Gandalf's, had special powers. It was an unsettling notion.  
  
Even as the last thought crossed his mind, Aragorn mentally chided himself. He was getting ahead of things. Maybe the strangers were indeed peaceful explorers, as they appeared to be. They might even turn out to be allies against Sauron. Maybe things would go well, and there would be no hostility.  
  
Nevertheless, it was best to be prepared for all possibilities.   
  
  
Colonel O'Neill stood at the edge of the forest, eyes scouring the plains. There had been no trace of life since the Uruk Jaffa band had captured Carter and Daniel.  
  
It had been an hour since he'd informed General Hammond of the situation, and the wait for reinforcements was driving him up the proverbial wall. Having to stay in the cover of the forest in case another Uruk band popped up wasn't helping matters.  
  
His radio crackled to life in a burst of static, a welcome interruption from his stream of less-than-pleasant thoughts.  
  
"O'Neill," came Teal'c's voice.   
  
"I read you, Teal'c," the Colonel responded.  
  
"The Stargate is activating," the Jaffa reported.  
  
"On my way," O'Neill said, pushing through the thick underbrush and heading back toward the Gate.  
  
As he approached, he could see four figures step through the event horizon and quickly recognized them as SG-2, led by Major Ferretti.  
  
Ferretti caught sight of O'Neill and came to attention, snapping off a salute. "Colonel O'Neill."  
  
"Major Ferretti," O'Neill said, returning the salute. "Report."  
  
"General Hammond couldn't send any reinforcements besides us, sir," Ferretti said. "However, we anticipate getting some backup from the Tok'ra."  
  
Teal'c's eyebrow hiked up his forehead at this statement, and O'Neill stared hard at Ferretti. "General Hammond contacted the _Tok'ra_?"  
  
"No, sir," Ferretti replied. "General Carter and Martouf were on Earth when you reported Major Carter and Dr. Jackson's capture. When they heard the news, they returned to their world to see if they could help."  
  
"And Martouf and General Carter were able to persuade the Tok'ra High Council to assist?" Teal'c inquired.  
  
Ferretti shrugged one shoulder. "Apparently General Carter and Selmak were very convincing. We gave them the coordinates for this world, and they should be coming through the Stargate within the hour."  
  
O'Neill held up a hand. "Now wait a second here. What were Jacob and Marty doing on Earth in the first place?"  
  
"I don't know the exact details," Ferretti said, "but apparently there's some new Goa'uld on the rise that the Tok'ra wanted us to know about."  
  
O'Neill blew out a deep breath. "Well, isn't that peachy." This day was getting better all the time. He could just _feel_ those new gray hairs forming.  
  
"O'Neill!" Teal'c said suddenly. "Someone is approaching."  
  
"Take cover!" O'Neill ordered immediately, and the group quickly dispersed. O'Neill ducked behind a large tree, his P-90 at the ready. He didn't know if the Uruk Jaffa would venture into the forest, but he wasn't about to take any chances.  
  
  
Gandalf seemed to know exactly where he was going as he led the group into the forest. Aragorn was content to let him lead, but kept a sharp eye open as the horses picked their way through the brush.  
  
Riding beside him on Arod, Legolas was also alert, scanning the woods with his Elven eyes. After several minutes of riding in silence, he lifted his head suddenly and narrowed his eyes, staring into the mass of trees.  
  
"What do you see?" Aragorn whispered.  
  
"They are just up ahead," Legolas replied softly. "They are attempting to hide," he added after a moment, sounding slightly amused at the concept.  
  
Aragorn took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. Gathering his reins into one hand, he grasped the hilt of his sword with the other, bracing himself for whatever the next few moments might bring.  
  



	6. Chapter Six

O'Neill peered over the barrel of his P-90, watching the movement in the trees. It was obvious now that the intruders were not Uruk Jaffa--unless there were Jaffa on this planet who rode horses, that is. O'Neill allowed himself a smirk at the mental image of an armored Jaffa on horseback, then pulled his mind back to the situation at hand. The unidentified riders were coming closer. O'Neill glanced across to Ferretti's position and made eye contact with the major. Ferretti nodded slightly, readying his weapon.  
  
The rider in the lead brought his horse into view. The horse was nearly pure white, aside from a dark grey tinge to his muzzle. The rider was similarly attired in white, wearing pristine robes and cape, and sporting long white hair and beard.  
  
Directly behind the white rider rode a more familiar face. O'Neill searched his short-term memory for a second before coming up with his name--Aragorn. The tall blond guy and his short, bushy-bearded companion rode together on one horse beside Aragorn.  
  
O'Neill looked over at Ferretti again and made the "all clear" signal, then stepped out from behind the cover of the tree. Teal'c and SG-2 followed suit, weapons lowered but still ready to fire should the need arise.  
  
"Hey," O'Neill greeted with a wave of one hand. "Found your missing friends?"  
  
"We have not encountered Merry and Pippin, no," Aragorn said. "But we believe they are now safe."  
  
O'Neill raised his eyebrows, waiting for a further explanation, but none was offered.  
  
Legolas tilted his head, fixing O'Neill with a penetrating stare. "Your numbers have changed since we last met."  
  
"So have yours," O'Neill pointed out dryly.  
  
Legolas continued as though the Colonel hadn't spoken. "There were four of you last time, including a woman."  
  
"Yes," Aragorn said before O'Neill could respond, thinking back to the tall blonde who was now curiously absent from the group. "There was also another man, the one with circles of glass covering his eyes. I believe he called himself Daniel Jackson."  
  
"Where are they?" Legolas inquired.  
  
"They had a run-in with some of those Uruk-hai you guys were talking about," O'Neill answered, his face twisted with distaste at the memory.   
  
"They were killed?" Aragorn asked.  
  
O'Neill shook his head tersely. "Captured."  
  
Aragorn frowned slightly. "Saruman has not shown an inclination to spare the lives of Men before. His armies have been ordered to destroy them."  
  
"Your friends were captured, not killed," Teal'c pointed out.  
  
"Yes, but Merry and Pippin are not from the race of Men," Aragorn said.  
  
O'Neill narrowed his eyes, thinking that some information about the capture of this "Merry and Pippin" was definitely being withheld. "So, what, this Saruman guy just has a grudge or something against Men?"  
  
"Saruman's master, Sauron, is determined to control all Middle-earth, and Men are close to becoming the dominant race. We are a challenge to his power," Aragorn explained.  
  
"Whoa, wait a minute," O'Neill cut in. "You're telling me that Saruman is just an underling of--whatsis name again?"  
  
"Sauron," Aragorn supplied, watching O'Neill carefully.  
  
"For crying out loud," O'Neill muttered, his voice barely audible.  
  
Gandalf, who had been observing the conversation silently until now, spoke up. "Saruman's forces most likely recognized that your friends were not typical Men, and had them captured instead of killed so they could be interrogated. When his is finished, he will dispense with them."  
  
O'Neill's jaw tightened. "Not gonna happen."  
  
Gandalf did not respond, but merely let the silence stretch between them, his expression neutral. O'Neill was glaring, as if expecting the wizard to defy him.  
  
Legolas broke the staring contest. "How do you intend to rescue your friends?" he asked O'Neill.  
  
"Oh, we'll think of something," O'Neill replied evenly.  
  
Gimli gave a short, gutteral laugh. "Do you expect to just barge into Orthanc and demand--"  
  
He broke off suddenly as the Stargate began to spin on its axis and the first chevron engaged. One of the Rohirric horses shied nervously at the unexpected noise.  
  
Gandalf turned to Aragorn. "Back up," he ordered. The others quickly obeyed, guiding their horses to a short distance away from the Gate.  
  
O'Neill barked a command, and SG-2 took up a defensive position. Seconds later, the final chevron locked into place, and the event horizon billowed out.  
  
There was a chorus of astonished murmurs from the Rohirrim. Gimli's bearded jaw dropped, and Aragorn and Legolas exchanged an alarmed glance. Aragorn was suddenly reminded of words uttered by Boromir in Moria..._"What is this new devilry?" _Gandalf, however, remained calm as ever, regarding the Gate steadily.  
  
The event horizon settled back into the Gate, rippling like the surface of a pond disturbed by a rock. A moment later, the surface seemed to part, and figures began to emerge. After six people had appeared, the blue surface disappeared suddenly, and the stone circle was silent once more.  
  
"Stand down," O'Neill ordered, and SG-2 lowered their weapons. Aragorn watched as O'Neill walked forward and greeted one of the newcomers, a balding man.  
  
"How is this possible?" Legolas whispered. Aragorn only shook his head mutely, eyes still glued to the scene in front of them. Clearly, these people who had just come through the "Stargate" were familiar to O'Neill and the other Earth natives. Friends or allies, probably.  
  
"We were just having a chat with the natives while waiting for you guys," O'Neill was saying to the bald man.  
  
"Will they help us?" one of the other newcomers asked. He was dressed in a sandy-colored, rather uncomfortable looking uniform.   
  
"Help you what?" Gimli spoke up, picking up where he had left off before the Stargate had activated. "Fight off several hundred Uruk-hai and break into Saruman's fortress?"  
  
"Isengard is teeming with Orcs, and your numbers are few," Legolas added. "Your chances of successfully rescuing your friends are small."  
  
"When your friends had been captured by Uruk-hai," Teal'c said, "you did not abandon them, even though there were many Uruks and only three of you."  
  
"That is true," Legolas said.   
  
"Neither will we abandon Major Carter and Daniel Jackson," Teal'c said with finality.  
  
"We are not suggesting you desert your friends," Aragorn said. "We are only informing you of the risks you face."  
  
"Ah, we've had worse," O'Neill deadpanned.  
  
The newcomer who had spoken earlier bowed his head briefly, then spoke, his voice distinctly deeper now than it had been previously.  
  
"We must assess the situation and determine a plan of action. Samantha and Dr. Jackson's time may be limited."  
  
  


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Carter ground her teeth together as she was jostled from behind and forced to come down on her injured leg. The Uruks had removed the arrow, but had made no other attempts to treat the wound. To put even a little weight on the leg was agonizing. As a result, she was half walking, half being carried by a bulky Uruk Jaffa, who had apparently been assigned to make sure she didn't slow the group's pace.  
  
Daniel was a few steps behind Carter, shooting worried glances at her. He had attempted to speak up on her behalf and had promptly received an ugly welt across one cheek, a friendly Uruk reminder that prisoners were to be seen and not heard.  
  
After several eternities, Saruman's fortress came into view. It was a black, imposing tower, with four wicked-looking spikes sticking out of the top. Daniel swallowed hard. The landscape surrounding the tower only added to the "abandon hope, all ye who enter here" atmosphere. It was devoid of plant life, with ugly, gaping holes littering the ground. Acrid smoke rose from many of the holes, and Daniel wrinkled his face in disgust.  
  
The Uruks pushed their captives relentlessly towards the tower, giving Daniel a hard shove whenever he slowed his pace to take in the surroundings. Running out of steam, Carter stumbled and nearly fell, only to be roughly jerked up by the nearest Uruk, who cursed at her in his incomprehensible language.  
  
As they approached the stairs at the base of the tower, Daniel noticed a figure waiting for them. They came to a stop in front of the stairs, and Carter and Daniel were shuffled to the front of the group.  
  
The figure walked towards them, his stride slow and deliberate. His skin was pale and sickly-looking, and his black hair hung in scraggly strands down his back. He briefly regarded the prisoners with a cold, flat stare before turning his gaze on the head Uruk.  
  
"You were not ordered to take prisoners," he said, his tone as icy as his eyes.  
  
"Saruman will want to see them," the Uruk returned in a growl. Two thoughts flitted through Daniel's mind--these Uruks could speak and understand English, and this slimy-looking individual was not Saruman.  
  
"Their weapons are powerful, and not from the technology of ordinary Men," the lead Uruk was saying. He grabbed Carter's P-90 from another Uruk and showed it to the man, who lifted one eyebrow and ran a finger along the gun.  
  
He turned back to Carter and Daniel, watching them more closely now. His eyes raked the archaeologist up and down, a sneer twisting his face and making it appear even more unpleasant. Apparently unimpressed with Daniel, he turned his gaze on Carter and stared at her for a long moment.  
  
Carter felt the hairs at the back of her neck come to attention. She was not unused to men looking at her, but the intensity of this stranger's stare, coupled with the fact that she was injured and weaponless, was more than a little unsettling.  
  
Without warning, an image of Bynarr sprang to her memory, Sokar's servant leering at her--at Jolinar--with undisguised lust in his eyes. The look was eerily similar to the one she was receiving now. She nearly choked on the feeling of revulsion that overwhelmed her, and fought the urge to back away.  
  
If Saruman's servant detected her repulsion, he did not react. He merely watched her a moment longer, then gestured at the lead Uruk and turned towards the stairs.  
  
One of the Uruks prodded Daniel with the blunt end of his spear, forcing the archaeologist up the stairs. Carter limped along close behind.  
  
As they ascended the long flight of steps, Daniel glanced over his shoulder. Most of the Uruk Jaffa in the band had now dispersed, leaving only the leader and two others. Unfortunately, Daniel realized, his pistol, Carter's P-90 and the other confiscated weapons and equipment seemed to have dispersed along with the Jaffa. There was no telling where they were now.  
  
"Move!" The Uruk leader's harsh command sliced into Daniel's thoughts, accompanied by another jab in the back. Moments later, they reached the end of the staircase and stood before a closed doorway. The head Uruk gestured curtly to one of his underlings, who stepped forward and tugged the door open, grunting under its weight.  
  
Carter and Daniel were herded through the doorway into a dark, gloomy area and pushed into the center of the room. After checking to make sure the captives had been properly prodded into place, the lead Uruk stepped away from them. A split second later, transport rings ascended from the floor, accompanied by their distinctive mechanical sound. The two prisoners were whooshed away in a blaze of light.  
  
_It's cold, _was Daniel's immediate thought as the rings brought them to their new location. Then his eyes widened as he realized exactly _why_ it was cold.  
  
"They put us on the roof!" he exclaimed, walking over to the edge and peering down the side of the tower. His head spun slightly, and he quickly backed away. A chilly wind whistled past, and he wrapped his arms around himself in an attempt to keep warm.  
  
Carter dragged herself over to one of the large, protruding spikes and sat against it, wincing as she stretched out her injured leg. Gradually, the pain subsided to a more bearable level, and she let out a heavy sigh.  
  
Daniel walked over, carefully avoiding the roof's edge, and settled in next to her. "You okay?" he asked quietly.  
  
She glanced at him, then looked ruefully at her leg. "It's nothing Janet won't be able to fix," she said with a small chuckle. She let her eyes travel in the direction of the forest where the Stargate was located. "I just hope the Colonel and Teal'c are okay." 


	7. Chapter Seven

Author's Note: I'm not particularly happy with some aspects of this chapter, but I rushed a little bit trying to get it done. I'm going out of town tomorrow and I really wanted to update before I go. I'm going to be gone for two weeks, so it might be a while before the next update.   
  
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O'Neill glanced around at the motley crew surrounding him, mentally assessing the current situation.  
  
The Tok'ra. _Everyone's favorite snakeheads, _he thought dryly. Six of them had come through the Gate; Jacob and Martouf he recognized immediately. A third, Aldwin, was vaguely familiar. They all tended to look the same after a while, in those oh-so-fashionable leathery outfits of theirs, but O'Neill was relatively sure that Aldwin was the one who had nearly blown him, Carter and Daniel all to smithereens on that mission to Netu.  
  
_He was following the orders of the Tok'ra Council, _an inner voice reminded him.  
  
_Yeah, whatever, _O'Neill retorted._ Doesn't mean I have to like him.  
  
_The other three Tok'ra were all unfamiliar. Jacob had introduced them when they'd first arrived, but their names had slipped O'Neill's mind. Teal'c would probably remember them.  
  
"We must assess the situation and determine a plan of action," Lantesh was saying. "Samantha and Dr. Jackson's time may be limited."  
  
"Why, yes, Lantesh. Thank you for the reminder," O'Neill said. He pretended not to see the annoyed glance the Tok'ra shot him and looked over at the group of natives. "You all seem to be pretty familiar with Saruman's territory. If there's any information you guys might be willing to share..."  
  
"We would be most appreciative," Teal'c put in.  
  
"For example, how many of those Uruk Jaffa are we talking about here?"  
  
"It is difficult to give you an exact number," Aragorn replied, "but hundreds, if not thousands of Orcs guard Isengard.".  
  
What about Saruman's fortress?" O'Neill asked. "I assume it's the usual huge, gaudy mothership."  
  
Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli exchanged confused glances. O'Neill recognized the look he had received when the Stargate had first been mentioned.  
  
Jacob shook his head. "Saruman is probably too minor a Goa'uld to have a mothership."  
  
"His fortress is a tower called Orthanc," Gandalf informed them. "Your companions are most likely trapped on the roof, where Saruman likes to keep his prisoners."  
  
Silence fell as O'Neill considered this. "All right," he said after a moment. "How far is it from here?"  
  
"A day's journey through the forest, to the southwest," Gandalf answered.  
  
O'Neill nodded. "Okay. Let's go check it out." He motioned to Ferretti. "Earlier, we found one of those Jaffa here in the forest, so I want someone here guarding the Gate."  
  
"Understood," Ferretti said. He turned to his team. "Clark and Adamson, you'll remain here at the Gate. Stay in radio contact."  
  
"Jadek and Reesin will remain as well," Selmak intoned, naming two of the other Tok'ra.  
  
"And...what about you guys?" O'Neill inquired, raising an eyebrow at Gandalf, Aragorn and the others.  
  
Aragorn looked to Gandalf, who replied, "We must return to Rohan and assist King Théoden in defending his country against Saruman."  
  
"We wish you luck in aiding your friends," Aragorn said formally.  
  
Teal'c inclined his head, answering for all of them. "Thank you."  
  
O'Neill shouldered his rifle. "Let's move out."  
  
  
  
"So, Jacob, do you guys know anything about this Saruman?" O'Neill asked.  
  
Jacob shook his head. "He's new to us. I don't think we know anything more than you do."  
  
"Which is not much," O'Neill said dryly.  
  
"He is obviously a minor Goa'uld," Teal'c observed. "His Jaffa do not even possess staff weapons."  
  
"Yeah, what's up with that?" O'Neill wondered, frowning.  
  
"Staff weapons require naquadah in order to function," Teal'c explained. "Most likely, Saruman does not control worlds with sufficient naquadah deposits."  
  
"And, what, his boss is too stingy to give him any?" O'Neill quipped.  
  
"His boss?" Jacob broke in before Teal'c could respond. "Do you know who Saruman works for?"  
  
O'Neill pursed his lips. "Some Goa'uld I've never heard of. The names were really similar."  
  
"Sauron," Teal'c supplied.   
  
"Yeah, Sauron. That was it," O'Neill said. "I mean, Saruman and Sauron? He doesn't score any points for originality..." He trailed off. "Jacob?"  
  
Jacob had stopped dead in his tracks. "Sauron?" He repeated, as though making sure he had heard correctly.  
  
"Yeah..." O'Neill said slowly. "What?"  
  
Jacob shook his head grimly. "This is worse than I thought."  
  
  
  
The journey back to Edoras was silent, save for the huffing of the horses' breath and the dull pounding of their hooves on the terrain. Each person was lost in his own thoughts, contemplating what he had seen. The mysterious circle of stone, able to transport people to Middle Earth--but from where? Did the strangers all come from one place? From many different places? Who were these people? What did they really want? And why had no one ever come through the circle before?  
  
Legolas guided Arod next to Hasufel, Aragorn's horse, until the two were cantering side by side.  
  
"What are you thinking?" the Elf asked.  
  
Aragorn was silent a moment before answering. "As many Orcs inhabit Isengard, I fear O'Neill and the others are going to their deaths."  
  
Legolas had clearly come to the same conclusion. "I wish there was something we could do to help them," he said softly, almost to himself.  
  
Gimli was more cynical. "We have enough quandaries of our own without getting wrapped up in the problems of strangers whose motives are not entirely clear!"  
  
Aragorn nodded reluctantly. As hopeless a situation as O'Neill and his friends appeared to be facing, Rohan's predicament was just as dire. Théoden needed as much support as possible, or his entire country could face disaster.  
  
Time passed, and eventually Edoras came into view. The Golden Hall of Medusel, perched atop a rolling hill, rose majestically above the humbler buildings that made up the rest of the city.  
  
Gandalf and Shadowfax led their small group towards the stables next to the Golden Hall. The riders dismounted and tended to their horses, who were eager for the comforts of their stalls.  
  
Aragorn untacked Hasufel, giving him a well-deserved pat on the neck, and left him in the capable hands of a Rohirric groomer.  
  
Leaving Hasufel's stall, he walked to the far end of the stable, where Gandalf was settling Shadowfax in his stall. No stablehands attended the headstrong Mearas; he allowed Gandalf alone to touch him.  
  
Aragorn stopped outside the stall and knocked lightly on the wooden door to get the wizard's attention.  
  
Gandalf looked over, cocking a shaggy eyebrow at his friend. "Aragorn?"  
  
Aragorn took a deep breath. "Gandalf, you are obviously familiar with the...Stargate. Or, at least, you've heard of it before."  
  
Gandalf inclined his head. "Yes." He stepped out of Shadowfax's stall and latched the door, then started down the aisle with Aragorn beside him.  
  
Aragorn opened his mouth, then closed it again, unsure of where to start. Finally he simply asked, "What is it?"  
  
Gandalf glanced quickly around the stable, then spoke in a low tone. "It is a piece of ancient technology, able to transport people and objects across great distances."  
  
"How did it get here? What is it doing here? Why is it in Fangorn?"  
  
Gandalf held up a hand to stall the flood of questions. "It was created by a powerful race that no longer exists on Middle Earth. It was not originally located in Fangorn, but was moved there thousands of years ago."  
  
"Why?"  
  
Gandalf was quiet for a moment before replying. "When Morgoth attempted to take control of Middle Earth, he used the Stargate to bring warriors here, amassing large armies. He was eventually defeated by the Valar, and shortly afterward they moved the Stargate to Fangorn so that it could not be used in that way again. Now, the Ents keep watch over it, making sure it is not discovered by Sauron. Ever since Morgoth's defeat, it has remained silent, dormant...until now."  
  
  
  
"What do you mean, this is worse than you thought?" O'Neill asked, looking at Jacob with a touch of exasperation.  
  
"You know something of Sauron," Teal'c stated.  
  
Jacob resumed walking and glanced at Martouf, whose expression was equally grim.  
  
"Not much," Jacob admitted. "But what we do know isn't good."  
  
"Is anything ever good when it comes to the Goa'uld?" O'Neill pointed out.  
  
"No," Martouf replied, either missing or overlooking O'Neill's sarcasm. "But this is worse than usual." He took a deep breath before continuing. "Sauron is working on the development of naquadria, and based on what our scouts have reported, he's been alarmingly successful so far."  
  
"So," O'Neill began, "this is another one of those cases where one Goa'uld could become all-powerful, annihilate all the others and become head honcho of the entire galaxy?"  
  
Martouf's mouth quirked. "You could put it that way, yes."  
  
"If Sauron is such a threat, why haven't we heard of him before?" Ferretti spoke up, looking skeptical.  
  
"Sauron has been quiet for millenia," Martouf explained. "He has probably been attempting to produce naquadria for quite some time, and has only recently made significant progress."  
  
"Saruman is most likely serving Sauron in hopes that he'll be able to reap some of the benefits if Sauron does ascend to ultimate power," Selmak said. "He may not be powerful now, but if Sauron is not stopped..."  
  
"Yeah," O'Neill said, sighing heavily. "Well, we'll deal with that after we've got Carter and Daniel back."  
  
The journey continued in silence. Nearly everyone was on edge, and O'Neill could not shake the feeling that they were being watched. Then again, maybe it was just paranoia from having been in the dark, rather creepy atmosphere of the forest for so long.  
  
Maybe.  
  
When the forest finally thinned and daylight could be seen, it was none too soon. The group clustered at the edge of the trees and looked out over Isengard.  
  
"Very inviting place," O'Neill commented.  
  
The landscape was bleak, the ground dotted with gaping, smoky holes. The only remaining plant life was burned, jagged tree stumps. Orcs roamed freely, doing their master's will. In the middle of it all stood the black, sinister-looking tower that Gandalf had called Orthanc.  
  
O'Neill pulled out his binoculars and pointed them at the top of the tower, squinting. Sure enough, he could make out two figures on the roof, huddled against one of the protruding spikes.  
  
"The old guy was right," he said, handing the binoculars to Jacob. "They're on the roof."  
  
"And Aragorn was correct about the number of Orcs," Aldwin said. "Several hundred, at least."  
  
This was met with a grim silence. After a moment, O'Neill spoke up. "Anyone have any bright ideas?" 


	8. Chapter Eight

The sun was blazing brightly in a cloudless blue sky, and a mild breeze took the edge off the heat of the summer day. It was a perfect afternoon for a Little League baseball game. Mark's excitement was contagious as he practiced his swing for the hundredth time. Today's game was going to be extra special: Dad was home on leave for the first time in what seemed like forever, and this would be the first game of the season that the whole Carter family would be in attendance. Sam felt happier than ever as she and Mark waited impatiently for their parents to emerge so they could leave for the ballpark.  
  
Mark shifted his bat from hand to hand, looking up when the back door slammed and Jacob stepped out into the driveway.  
  
"Come on, Dad!" Mark said eagerly. "Coach Mayes said we had to be there at 3:00!"  
  
"Be patient, Mark, your mother's almost ready," Jacob answered, tossing his son a baseball cap. "Forget something?"  
  
"Oops," Mark said with a sheepish grin, catching the hat and jamming it onto his head. With the cap properly in place, he swung his bat back over his shoulder. "Hey, Dad, watch my swing."  
  
"All right, let's see it. Look out for your sister."  
  
"Get out of the way, Sam," Mark said automatically, then eyed an imaginary ball coming towards him and swung vigorously at it.  
  
"Home run!" he crowed triumphantly, even as the bat flew from his hands. Sam barely had time to react before it struck her solidly in the shin. Pain exploded through her leg, and she fell to the ground with a yelp.  
  
"Sam!"  
  
Her father was running towards her, yelling her name. Only, oddly, he didn't really sound like her father anymore...  
  
"Sam!" the voice came again, and she sat bolt upright to see not her father and brother, but Daniel leaning towards her and an Uruk towering over them both, spear poised to strike at her injured leg again.  
  
"Get up," he snarled.  
  
Carter obeyed, struggling to her feet with Daniel's help and shaking the last remnants of the dream from her mind. With an effort, she tried to focus on the situation at hand rather than the throbbing pain shooting through her leg.  
  
The Uruk moved slightly to the side and another figure seemed to materialize behind him. Carter recognized him as the man who had leered at her when she and Daniel had first been brought to the tower. She tensed involuntarily, her toes curling inside her boots.  
  
The man drew his thin lips upward in a humorless smile, and he let the silence stretch between them before speaking.  
  
"Saruman was most intrigued by your weapons," he said, his tone smooth and oily. "He would like to...speak with you in person."  
  
Turning, he gestured to the Uruk, who prodded Daniel into the center of the roof. Carter followed suit as quickly as she could, in an attempt to avoid a jab from the Uruk's spear.  
  
The stringy-haired man stepped into the roof's center, his manner almost casual. Carter resisted the urge to shift away from him. He made her feel uneasy, even though she sensed no symbiote within him. Perhaps he was Saruman's lotar.  
  
The transport rings ascended from the roof, interrupting her musings. The rings retracted seconds later, leaving them in what appeared to be Saruman's throne room.  
  
Like the exterior of the tower, the room was black and menacing, the walls appearing rough and jagged. Pale light streamed through a window, combining with several torches to give the room a dim illumination. The bleak atmosphere was in stark contrast to the ostentatious, golden hallways the Goa'uld seemed to prefer.  
  
Aside from the throne against the wall, the room contained only a pedestal near the middle of the chamber. Daniel craned his head to get a better view of it. A bowling ball-shaped object, covered with a dark cloth, rested on its center.   
  
Without warning, a pair of tall, double doors opened, seemingly under their own power. An imposing figure strode through, his walk slow and stately.  
  
Carter and Daniel's guard inclined his head slightly. "My lord Saruman."

-------

Darkness had settled over the forest, with a sliver of moon providing light for the small camp at the edge of the woods. Having been unable to come up with a suitable rescue plan, the group had decided to get some sleep--as much as was possible on the root-strewn ground at the forest's border.  
  
O'Neill, on watch, propped himself up against a tree, ignoring the roughness of the bark against his back. Across from him, Martouf was also on watch, sitting cross-legged with his zat'ni'katel by his side. The others slept several feet away, with the exception of Teal'c, who had entered a state of kel-no-reem. The silence of the forest was broken only by the rustle of the wind in the trees, and the occasional loud snore from Ferretti.  
  
Movement suddenly caught O'Neill's eye, and he instinctively raised his P-90, training it on a figure emerging from the sleeping area.  
  
"Don't shoot, Jack," came Jacob's voice. "It's just me."  
  
"Jacob? What are you doing up?" O'Neill whispered loudly, lowering his rifle. "It won't be your watch for a while yet."  
  
"Couldn't sleep," was Jacob's succinct answer as he tried to find a comfortable seat on the ground.  
  
"Ferretti's snoring keeping ya awake?" O'Neill asked dryly, shooting a dirty glance in the direction of the oblivious Major.  
  
"Actually, it has more to do with the fact that my daughter's a prisoner of a Goa'uld and that, as of yet, we have no good idea of how to get her and Daniel back," Jacob replied, a little shortly.  
  
"We'll think of something," O'Neill said after a brief silence. "We're not leaving here without them."  
  
Silence fell again, intermingled with snores. After several minutes, O'Neill felt around in the brush at the base of the tree where he was sitting. Finding a small stone, he flung it in Ferretti's direction. He was rewarded with a muffled yelp, then the snoring stopped.  
  
"Finally," O'Neill muttered.  
  
"What of a Tel'tak?" Martouf spoke up suddenly.  
  
O'Neill blinked. "What?"  
  
"Could we use a cargo ship to rescue Dr. Jackson and Samantha?" Martouf asked. "We could have one sent from Vorash and use the transport rings to pick them up."  
  
O'Neill scrunched up his face skeptically. "Wouldn't it take too long to get here?"  
  
"I'd say it would take at least two or three days to get here by Tel'tak," Jacob said slowly, turning the idea over in his head. "It could work, though."  
  
"Daniel and Carter may not _have_ two or three days," O'Neill pointed out.  
  
"If you can think of a better idea..." Martouf let his voice trail off. "I agree that time is precious, Colonel, but considering the number of Uruk Jaffa, I see no other option."  
  
O'Neill opened his mouth, then closed it again, thinking it over. Martouf did have a point--there were so many Uruks prowling Isengard that any rescue attempt on foot would be suicide.  
  
"All right," he said at last. "Jacob, contact your guys at the Gate and send them through to Vorash--the sooner that Tel'tak gets in the air, the better. I'll wake Ferretti and let him know what's going on."

-------

Daniel half expected to be pushed to his knees and ordered to bow before his god as Saruman crossed the room and lowered himself onto the throne. But the lord of Isengard seemed content to let his prisoners remain upright.  
  
While all Orthanc seemed to be jet black, Saruman was robed in white, with long hair and beard to match. On first glance he looked elderly, but he conveyed undisguised power and authority. Carter regarded him intently, the naquadah in her bloodstream alerting her to his symbiote. If there had been any doubts as to whether or not Saruman was a Goa'uld, there were none now.


	9. Chapter Nine

Author's Note: Thoughts and host/symbiote discussions are in italics.  
  
-  
-  
-  
-  
  
"All right, here's the deal," O'Neill announced. "The Tok'ra and the members of SG-2 who were guarding the Gate have gone to the Tok'ra base to ask their Council for a cargo ship. We estimate it will get here in two to three days. When it does, it will pick us up first, then transport Daniel and Carter aboard from the roof, using the rings. Any questions?"  
  
There were a few seconds of silence before Aldwin spoke up. "We'll have to leave the cover of the forest in order for the Tel'tak to bring us aboard." He paused, then continued at a nod from O'Neill. "Won't the Tel'tak lose its element of surprise? Saruman will see it as it picks us up, then as we go to rescue Dr. Jackson and Major Carter, if he has any weapons he'll be able to blow us out of the sky."  
  
"We're banking on him _not _having weapons," Jacob responded. "Seeing as though he doesn't have a mothership and his Jaffa have no staff weapons, we think it's a relatively safe bet that his fortress isn't armed either."  
  
Aldwin tilted his head almost imperceptibly. "I hope you're right."  
  
"In the meantime," O'Neill continued, ignoring the Tok'ra's skepticism, "there's not much we can do, except wait."  
  
"And hope Samantha and Dr. Jackson can hold on that long," Martouf added, finishing the unspoken sentence.  
  


- - -

  
  
Daniel resisted the urge to fidget uncomfortably. SG-1 had run into their fair share of Goa'uld over the past several years. The race was arrogant, showy, obnoxious, demanding attention. They took delight in explosions, the screams of tortured victims, _noise_. Daniel couldn't recall a Goa'uld who'd been as unnervingly silent as this one. Saruman was sitting regally in his throne, eyes burning into his captives, as though attempting to make them spill all their secrets without having to say a word.  
  
Then, without warning, Saruman spoke, and all of Daniel's unease fled from his mind.  
  
"Grima brought me your weapons, and they make it clear that you are not of this planet. It has been long since Middle Earth has seen those who travel through the Stargate," the Goa'uld said.  
  
In the back of his mind, Daniel vaguely registered that his mouth was hanging partially open, and he absently let it close. He realized that he was barely aware of what Saruman was saying, so mesmerizing was his voice.  
  
He could hear the distortion, typical of the Goa'uld, but it seemed more subtle, less alien than most. The voice was deep, even without the Goa'uld double-tone, and rich and mellow. Daniel felt an odd sense of entrancement, and a nearly overpowering urge to do or say whatever was necessary to ensure the voice would continue. Sparing a quick glance at Carter, he saw that she seemed similarly enthralled.  
  
His eyes traveled back to Saruman. The Goa'uld had finished speaking and was regarding his prisoners with the barest hint of a smile on his face.  
  
Wondering suddenly if he was waiting for a response, Daniel attempted to pull himself together and ignore the lingering effect of the voice. "Um, yes, that was, ah--we gathered that."  
  
_Okay, what was that?_ he mentally scolded himself. _You're a linguist, Daniel, you can be more coherent than that. It's just a voice. Concentrate._  
  
Saruman rose and walked smoothly around Carter and Daniel. "And why have you come here?"  
  
The voice was soft, calmly questioning. It seemed entirely different from the harsh, demanding way the Goa'uld usually spoke. A tiny red flag rose in the back of Daniel's mind, a pinprick of warning. He could hear Sam answering Saruman's question, but didn't make out the words. This wasn't right. Surely a voice alone couldn't cause this sort of euphoric feeling.  
  
_It must be some form of Goa'uld mind control._ _Maybe similar to what Hathor used,_ his brain whispered. _Fight it. You have to fight it._  
  


- - -

  
  
Martouf craned his neck, stretching out the stiff muscles, then propped his chin in one hand and allowed his eyelids to droop slightly. Two and a half days had passed since Jadek and Reesin, along with two of the Tau'ri, had been sent for the cargo ship. The wait, combined with the forced inactivity and the anxiety of not knowing what was happening to Dr. Jackson and Major Carter, was difficult for everybody.  
  
_Although some have been handling it better than others_, Lantesh commented wryly.  
  
_True_, Martouf sent back.  
  
He glanced over at Jacob, who was conversing quietly with Aldwin. Samantha's father was obviously concerned for his daughter's welfare, but was keeping his worries concealed under a mask of stoicism. Martouf supposed that Selmak was also probably doing her best to distract her host. Teal'c had spent much of the past two days in a state of kel-no-reem, and Martouf couldn't help but feel a twinge of envy at the Jaffa's apparent serenity.  
  
And then there was O'Neill, whose restlessness was in sharp contrast to Teal'c's composure. The longer the wait dragged on, the more his sarcastic and rather biting manner intensified, making him "even more insufferable than usual," according to Lantesh.  
  
Martouf, however, thought he could understand O'Neill's behavior, at least to some extent. If there was one thing about the Tau'ri that stood out, it was their loyalty to their colleagues and almost stubborn refusal to give up, even when the situation was bleak. Samantha and Dr. Jackson were part of O'Neill's team, and Martouf knew he would stop at nothing in order to see them back safely.  
  
A sudden noise from Jacob's communication device broke the stillness of the forest and interrupted Martouf's thoughts. He sat up quickly, at once fully alert.  
  
The double-toned voice of a symbiote issued from the communicator. "Selmak, Jacob, please reply."  
  
Jacob grabbed the device and spoke into it. "This is Jacob; go ahead."  
  
"We have just entered the atmosphere of the planet," the Tok'ra pilot reported. "What is your location?"  
  
"Finally," muttered O'Neill, abandoning his position at the edge of the forest and striding briskly into the camp. "All right, people, Tel'tak's almost here! Teal'c? Ferretti?"  
  
Teal'c opened his eyes and rose effortlessly from his cross-legged position, then inclined his head. "I am ready, O'Neill."  
  
Jacob finished his exchange with the Tel'tak and pocketed the communicator, his expression tense. "They're on their way." _I sure hope this works.  
  
It will, _Selmak responded, even though he hadn't been specifically talking to her. _Relax, Jacob. Samantha will be disappointed if she is rescued only to find that you've stressed yourself into a heart attack.  
  
_Jacob gave an internal chuckle in spite of himself. _Aren't symbiotes supposed to keep their hosts in perfect health?  
  
...Well, yes, _Selmak admitted.  
  
A yell from Aldwin broke into the conversation. "Here it comes!"  
  
"Let's move!" O'Neill ordered, then charged out of the woods into the open ground where the Tel'tak hovered. The rest of the group was close on his heels, sprinting underneath the Tel'tak and positioning themselves below the rings.  
  
"Squeeze in tight, everyone!" O'Neill bellowed. "I don't want any extremities left behind!"  
  
"O'Neill!" came Teal'c's voice, almost before the Colonel had finished his sentence. "We have been seen!"  
  
Heads swiveled towards Isengard. A small, black cloud of Uruks was getting bigger at a rapid pace as it moved towards them.  
  
Jacob whipped out his communicator, hoping that everyone was crammed in close enough. "We're in position! Bring us aboard, now!"  
  
The rings activated immediately, descending on the huddled group and whooshing them aboard.  
  
As soon as the rings disappeared into the floor, O'Neill bolted towards the flight deck and gestured in the direction of Orthanc. "Head for that tower!"  
  


- - -

  
  
Daniel pulled his knees up against his chest and tapped one foot in a random pattern. He had long since explored the entirety of the roof, in hopes that whoever built it might have left some carvings or inscriptions for him to peruse. But of course, he had no such luck.  
  
He glanced over at Carter, who was sitting nearby, leaning against the spike. Her eyes were closed and she was breathing evenly. He wasn't sure if she was actually asleep or just resting, but either way, it didn't look as though she was in a conversational mood.  
  
He'd lost track of exactly how much time had passed since Saruman had questioned them, but figured it was at least a couple of days. After the interrogation they had been returned to the roof, and hadn't seen or heard from anyone except the Uruks who brought their meager meals. The spellbinding effect of Saruman's voice seemed to have worn off once they were no longer in his presence. However, he and Carter had discovered that, to their alarm, they could barely remember the details of the interrogation. The questions Saruman had asked them, and their responses, were shadowy memories at best. Carter had theorized that the difficulty in recollecting was caused by whatever mind control Saruman had used on them, and they both knew that if he questioned them again, they would have to battle the voice with all their willpower. Now that they knew what to expect, they would stand a better chance against it.  
  
But so far, Saruman had not sent for them. Daniel could only guess at the Goa'uld's plans.  
  
Leaning his head back against the spike's cold surface, he let out a heavy sigh, then blinked suddenly. A flash of light had caught his peripheral vision.  
  
Sitting bolt upright, he peered intently into the distance and shook Carter's shoulder. "Sam, did you see what I just saw?"  
  
She opened her eyes and blinked groggily at him. "Hmmm?"  
  
"Look." He pointed. "It's a Tel'tak."  
  
She squinted, her eyes following his finger to where the cargo ship had come to a stop near the forest. "What's it doing?"  
  
Daniel shook his head and crawled closer to the roof's edge. "I can't tell. I wish the Jaffa hadn't taken my binoculars."  
  
Carter followed him gingerly, pulling herself foward as best she could while trying to keep her leg still. "Do you think it's--"  
  
"Jack and Teal'c? I don't know. I hope so."  
  
A sudden burst of noise made them jump, and they turned to see the transport rings activating. After a moment, the rings retracted into the roof, revealing the man Saruman had called Grima. His dark cloak made him appear silhouetted against the sky, but Carter and Daniel could still make out his devious smile.  
  
"Saruman has come to a decision about your fate," he announced without preamble. "You are to be taken to the caverns and given to the Uruk-hai. It has been long since..." He paused a moment, his smile widening and becoming even more wicked. "...since they tasted manflesh."  
  
Carter's eyes widened involuntarily as his words sank in.  
  
"Sam!"  
  
The shout from Daniel tore her attention away from Grima's words. Her head whipped around, and she saw the Tel'tak speeding towards them, gaining altitude until it was flying above their heads.  
  
It seemed to slow and descend slightly as it approached, and as it hovered above the roof, part of the lower hull slid away, revealing the transport rings ready to activate.  
  
"It's Jack!" Daniel yelled. "It has to be!"  
  
"We can't know for sure!" Carter returned, shouting over the noise of the ship's engines.  
  
"We have to take the chance! It's either that, or--" he glanced over at Grima, who had backed up nearly against one of the spikes and was staring slack-jawed at the Tel'tak. "Come on!"  
  
Carter hesitated only a split second, then half ran, half dragged herself under the rings. Daniel quickly followed, and instantly the rings lowered from the belly of the ship. Grima took a step forward, then a step back, shielding his eyes from the light of the rings as the prisoners were transported off the roof.  
  


- - -

  
  
A grin split O'Neill's face as Daniel and Carter appeared in the Tel'tak, and Jacob let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. "We've got them!" he yelled to the flight deck. "Get us out of here!"  
  
The ship accelerated in response. Daniel and Jacob helped Carter to a seat against the bulkhead, and O'Neill clapped Daniel on the back.  
  
"Good to see you guys in one piece," he said.  
  
"Thanks, Jack," Daniel said, giving a weary but relieved grin. "You were just in time. They were going to..." He paused. "Well, let's just say your timing was impeccable."  
  
Teal'c, entering just in time to catch the last sentence, quirked an eyebrow and a rare smile crossed his face. "Daniel Jackson, Major Carter. I am glad to see you safe."  
  
Carter waved from where she was propped up against the wall. "Likewise, Teal'c."  
  
O'Neill turned to his second in command and knelt next to her. "How's the leg?"  
  
"I think it'll be okay, sir, but I could use some--" She was cut off midsentence by the unmistakable sound of an impact against the hull. The ship gave a sudden lurch and a bright light flashed from the flight deck.  
  
Daniel blinked. "What was that?"  
  
O'Neill got to his feet and sprinted into the flight deck, followed by Jacob and Teal'c.  
  
"The ship's been hit," the Tok'ra pilot reported tensely, wrestling with the controls. "Engines are damaged. Losing altitude."  
  
_"What?" _O'Neill looked ready to explode. "For crying out loud! He wasn't supposed to have any weapons!"  
  
As if mocking him, the ship shuddered under the force of another hit and tilted at an odd angle. The ground could be seen growing steadily closer out the front window.  
  
Jacob darted into the copilot's seat and looked over a display, then shook his head, face grim. "We're going down!"  
  


- - -

  
  
On the roof of Orthanc, Saruman stood under a mass of dark, threatening clouds. A tiny flare of satisfaction showed on his otherwise stony face as he directed another lightning bolt at the fleeing cargo ship. A trail of smoke billowed out from the rear of the Tel'tak as it hurtled towards the terrain.


End file.
